La maison du Gasseau, Saint-Pierre-des-Nids

Celebrated table

La maison du Gasseau

Discover how this Sarthe bistro blends garden harvests, award-winning vegetarian cooking, and a forest setting into one quiet dining experience.

The story

La Maison du Gasseau: A Seasonal Bistro in Saint-Pierre-des-Nids

The kitchen and its ingredients

La maison du Gasseau runs a seasonal bistro in Saint-Pierre-des-Nids, guided by owners Stéphanie and Nicolas since they took over the property. Their kitchen follows a strict code of freshness and homemade preparation, relying on organic vegetables harvested from the on-site patch. Chef Victoire Rallu and pastry chef Dorine Garnier execute this vision using techniques rooted in everyday French cooking. Every dish reflects a deliberate choice to skip industrial shortcuts and honor local supply chains.

Dishes that define the menu

The menu frequently features a chilled pea soup made with whole pods, fresh cherries and smoked goat cheese. Grilled chickpeas support a marinated cucumber plate dressed in anise yogurt and toasted socca. Cod arrives alongside slow roasted celery and a light beurre blanc when the sea offers something worth highlighting. Desserts stay grounded in texture, offering tonka bean cream or rice pudding layered with stewed rhubarb and toasted sunflower seeds.

The setting and service

Diners gather in a broad room before moving to the tree shaded terrace that overlooks the vegetable beds. The estate sits within a protected Natura 2000 woodland, providing a quiet backdrop that matches the food’s steady pace. This grounded approach recently secured a Le Fooding listing, a recognition that rewards traceability and plant forward cooking. The bistro maintains its focus on simple hospitality and honest ingredients throughout the year.

Recognition

Awards & accolades

2026
Le Fooding
Listed

Ambience

A glimpse inside

Details

At a glance

Le Fooding 2026 — Listed
Cuisines Bistro
Services Kids friendly, Outdoor Seating, Vegetarian

History

On the record

2026
Le Fooding — Listed

This gigantic stone building has bedrooms for rent upstairs and wellness massages, a tree climbing course behind it, a terrace under the trees and a vegetable patch a little further past that… So relax! Since spring 2021, here in this verdant corner of paradise in the Marcelles Alps, Victoire Rallu (in the kitchen, who used to work at Marchon in Paris), Dorine Garnier (the pastry chef, ex-Semilla and Le Richer in Paris) and Nathalie Gonnet (front-of-house) have been living their best lives. Their cuisine? Local, seasonal, biodiverse, traceable, eco-friendly…. Five out of five stars! Expect excellent vegetarian fare, made with locally-grown vegetables and herbs from the garden: verdantly fresh cream of pea soup made from the peas and their pods, with cherries, mint and smoked fresh goat cheese; ingenious marinated cucumber with grilled chickpeas, anise-flavored yogurt and toasted socca; exquisite cream of celery and slow roasted celery under cod steak with beurre blanc sauce (the only non-veggie exception to the menu the day we went); and not-too-sweet desserts – cacao tuile, tonka bean cream, dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel; or rice pudding with stewed rhubarb and toasted sunflower seeds. // Ringo de Balmalon

Established

Location

Find us

Parking Domaine du Gasseau, 72130 Saint-Léonard-des-Bois, France
Saint-Pierre-des-Nids, France
+33 7 86 11 46 06
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Map showing La maison du Gasseau